At long last, the Tokyo episode of Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern — featuring La Carmina as his guide to weird theme restaurants — has aired! Huge thanks to the crew for having me on the show, and to all of you who tuned in. I’m glad you enjoyed our bloody dining adventure.

What, you missed the Travel Channel premiere? Wipe those tears away: I’ve posted the clip below and on my YouTube channel.

Harajuku “fashion author and blogger” La Carmina brings Andrew Zimmern to Tokyo’s strangest theme restaurant, Alcatraz ER, on Travel Channel’s Bizarre Foods TV show. She and her Goth friends drink red slush out of a mannequin’s head and eat “Russian Roulette” takoyaki behind the bars a jail cell. You can read/see more of the horror mental hospital cafe in La Carmina’s book Crazy Wacky Theme Restaurants: Tokyo (Mark Batty, Random House).

We shot my title sequence in Shibuya, shortly after I met up with Zimmern at the Hachiko dog statue. People were staring as I strutted around and blew kisses to the camera…

Mistress Maya wasn’t grossed out by the “bedpan of beer.” I think she drank most of it straight!

My fashionable Tokyo spooks joined me for the shoot. Andrew Zimmern and the film crew were very nice to us all. (I wrote about the experience in my CNNGo article here.)

What’s more disturbing: pumping a syringe of red head goop into your mouth, or a pink Cheshire Cat eating pizza with chopsticks?

Come watch my Bizarre Foods video clip! Reactions? What was your favorite moment in the dining experience?

Don’t forget to enter my Miyavi concert ticket giveaway. And I welcome you to add me on Twitter for J-pop news and random ramblings. Hugs and love!

Japanese word of the day: Bizarre = Hen or Kimyo
Song of the Day: The video’s intro and outro music is Malice Mizer – Chinurareta Kajitsu.

I’m glad you enjoyed my photos of Gothic Lolitas and Aristocrats at the Versailles live. Now, would you like to see exclusive footage of the Versailles concert? Your wish is granted! I uploaded a video here and below…

La Carmina and Yukiro Dravarious report on the Visual Kei concert at Tokyo’s JCB Hall on April 30th, 2010. The video includes…

† Live footage of Teru, Kamijo, Hizaki and Yuki perfoming Princess and other new J-rock songs from Versailles’ Jubilee album. (Sorry about the shakiness; I did my best…)
† Photos of the EGL Gothic Lolitas and Aristocrat fashion outside the venue
† We abuse a Japanese Goth boy! What else is new?

Here are more photos from inside the venue. This is my Japanese Adventure Team; gotta have one in every city. (Just kidding. These are random, confused boys…)

Poor Amiyu got molested by us in the video. Just a day in the life…

Everyone had to pay an extra 500 yen at the door for a drink ticket. I took photos of these boys in front of one of the bars.

More Gothic Lolitas, of all ages and sizes.

How awesome is this: Gackt sent Versailles congratulatory flowers! (I saw the ex-Malice Mizer singer perform last year; you can read my reports here and here, and see a video here.) After the show, we ran into Gothic Prince Ken from the Visual Kei band GPKISM. We went to their concert shortly after; yes, there will be photos and a video…

To recap the video: the Versailles concert was magnificent. A beautiful set draped in roses; the curtains parted, revealing a white-hooded choir. (I thought they were mannequins — no, they were actual singers!) The performance lasted longer than usual, with no opening acts. Everyone had seats, so we could sit in the balcony “like a king and queen” instead of fighting the crowd.

Singer Kamijo didn’t introduce the session bassist, who dressed in black and hid in the shadows. Nobody can replace the departed Jasmine You… but thankfully, the Visual Kei rockers are in great spirits. Hizaki spun around; Kamijo danced in a hot, tight black outfit. In the end, the four sat together on stage and then bowed holding hands, and the audience died from the cuteness.

For more Versailles Philharmonic Quintet coverage…
† See photos of cosplayers and Lolitas outside the Tokyo concert here.
† Read my first report about the band playing live in Shibuya in 2008.
† Yukiro reported on Versailles’ V-rock Festival concert here and the Jasmine You memorial concert here.

Are you a Versailles fan? What are your favorite bits from the video? If you enjoyed it, please subscribe to my YouTube channel – more Jrock concert reports and adventures to come!

Japanese Word of the Day: Kyujo = Imperial palace
Song of the Day: Princess and the other glorious Versailles songs found in our new video.

We’ve yielded to your pleads… and created a SECOND Evil Queen makeup tutorial video! Muahahaha!

In the last episode, La Carmina was transformed into an Evil Queen by the Queen Bitch herself (Yukiro Dravarious). Now, the two witches capture a random victim from an elevator and each beautify half her face with Shrinkle’s Sugarpill eyeshadows and glitters.

Meanwhile, Japanese orgy “pron” blares in the background — serving as their Inspiration — and their Minion gets brutally punished for her incompetence…

Come watch the madness above and here. If you couldn’t stop laughing, please subscribe to my YouTube channel. More video adventures to come!

Everyone bow down to Geisha Queen Yukiro, master of Satanic makeup.

I did the left side of the random victim’s face; my partner did the other. It strangely works. Amazonian Cyber queen, maybe?

MINION! Kanae is single-handedly the most incompetent slave we’ve ever flushed down the toilet.

Gothic Lolita dress: Innocent World. Can’t believe I found it in Closet Child Harajuku.
Necklace: I found an old Heart of the Ocean Titanic pendant (remember those?) and strung it up.
Feathered eyelashes: Simply amazing; they match my orange hair. From Odakaya in Shinjuku.
Black lipstick: Lime Crime makeup
Glittery Goth crucifix stickers: We all wore one that night to Midnight Mess. From a Japanese dollar store.

What were your favorite moments in the scandalous video? Who made you laugh the most? You can also watch the first Evil Queen video here.

Japanese Word of the Day: Black magic = Kuromajutsu
Song of the Day: Gina M. – Last Night A DJ Saved My Life (The robot is not computer-generated, it’s a real actor in a robot costume made of plastic!)

Susie Bubble (of fashion blog Style Bubble) recently learned of British Pathe’s giant archive of films (1897-1970). She was amazed by the wealth of material available — free to stream — on the site. Thinking I’d have the same jaw-dropping reaction, Susie referred the site to me. And boy, was she right. I could spend hours watching rare footage of Victorian ladies, 1920s jazz dancers, Hong Kong’s skyline in the 1950s, Emperor Hirohito attending the premiere of Ben Hur…

Cute Japanese food (1968) (click to view)

The British Pathe has over 90,000 reels: there’s something to hold everyone’s interest. I searched for “Japan” and came across this remarkable food demo at a London restaurant. Believe it or not, the Japanese were making food cute even in the 1960s! In the video, Chef Kusama Toshio carves birds from sweet potatoes and places them over vegetable flowers.

When you search for “Japan,” the highlights include…
† Very early 1930s mute reel about Japanese ways
† 1963 footage of Japanese fashion models in Australia
† Japanese students in London, 1970
† 1950s Geishas entertain men at a business meeting
† Japanese Royal wedding 1959: “Crown Prince Akihito has married a commoner, so breaking Japanese tradition of more than 2,600 years”
† Two year-old Prince Hiro, 1962

Tokyo ladies’ fashion show (1954) (click to view)

Here’s a video of Japanese models displaying the latest designs at Tokyo Kaikan Hall. I love the kimono and princess-style ladies overcoat.

Victorian corset striptease (1960) (click to view)

For all you Victorian/Rococo/Steampunk lovers, British Pathe is an excellent plae to find retro inspiration. The clip above shows a Victorian-attired girl performing a striptease, and models showing off historical corsets.

British Pathe is a wonderful resource for anyone intrigued by bygone eras. Come take a gander at the videos, and let me know if you find anything that amazes you! (You can share the link in the comments, which are always appreciated.)

VERSAILLES has announced Summer 2010 World Tour dates! The epic heavy metal Visual Kei band is hitting Europe and South America. Will you be at any of these J-rock concerts?
Apr 30 2010: Tokyo JCB Hall (I’ll be there!)
Jun 4 2010: Sao Paulo
Jun 6 2010: Santiago
Jun 9 2010: Buenos Aires
Jun 11 2010: Lima
Jun 13 2010: Mexico City
Jun 27 2010: Moscow
Jun 29 2010: Helsinki
Jun 30 2010: London
Jul 2 2010: Barcelona
Jul 3 2010: Montpellier
Jul 6 2010: Amsterdam
Jul 7 2010: Cologne
Jul 9 2010: Hamburg
Jul 11 2010: Budapest
Jul 13 2010: Paris

Japanese Word of the Day: Instrument = Gakki
Song of the Day: Seal – Kiss from a Rose (for Adventure Teamster K!)

Travel Channel has posted a “teaser reel” for the new season of Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern. And look who’s in it for a second: La Carmina and Mistress Maya! We’re locked in a cell at the horror-jail theme restaurant Alcatraz ER. The wonderfully intrepid Zimmern drinks red slush from the mannequin’s head and exclaims… “That’s good!”

Don’t blink or you’ll miss our appearance at 0:05 in the video above and on YouTube. Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern premieres Monday, April 26 at 10 E/P on Travel Channel. I believe the Tokyo episode will the fourth in the series — will keep you updated! For more photos and stories of the Tokyo TV shoot, please check out this blog post and my book, Crazy Wacky Theme Restaurants: Tokyo.

I also filmed a cute food demo (above) at Penguin Books’ headquarters in NYC. It was great fun to work with the creative team, who built a backdrop using photos from my book. If you’re hungry for adorably-decorated recipes inspired by the Japanese bento decoration trend, please consider my cookbook Cute Yummy Time.

Finally, Death Ray Weekly interviewed me. My personal opinion of Mana-Sama? “Inspiring, enigmatic… DIX love!”

Today, I turn over the blog to my Scottish Fold cat, Basil Farrow. “Wahhh! It’s my birthday today! Is this package for me?”

“It’s beautifully wrapped and the sender is… Agent Lover? Let’s give it a good Scottish Fold sniff.”

“It’s hard to guess what’s inside when one has no ears and no nose…”

“Wahhh it’s a little Gothic cake for the birthday boy! Let’s give it a taste…”

“Not very sweet. And why… won’t… the… strawberry… come OFF? Oops, I lifted up the whole cake!”

Poor Basil… the cake is actually a sweet little hat, sent to us from the funny and talented blogger Agent Lover! Handcrafted and available in a variety of colors, these treats pair perfectly with Gothic Lolita dresses. Now, don’t you want a cake hat? You can see more photos and ordering info in Agent Lover’s bakery.

Huge hugs to everyone who wished my cat, Basil Farrow, happy birthday on his Facebook! You’re all crazy and I love it. To celebrate Basil’s big day, I’ve posted a new Scottish Fold video above and here. Come see my eternal kitten playing and lying upside-down in the sun.

There’s more earless kitty-ness on Basil Farrow’s YouTube channel (please subscribe?), Facebook (please add?) and blog.

Do you celebrate your pet’s birthday? Should I do anything special for Basil today? Come see the Andrew Zimmern Tokyo episode preview here if you haven’t already.

I’ve always loved Hello Kitty and made silly movies — and here’s the proof! In December 1991 (age 7), I made a hilarious stop-motion video using household items (a cassette box, a remote control) and Sanrio toys. My dad and I did all the character voices, including the sound effects. (Swim-swim-swim, yoiiink!) Watch it below and here…

Chapter 1: Baby Kim is born. (You can see Carmina’s slippered feet in the back!)
Chapter 2: The Kims go to Disneyland. A boat ride goes terribly wrong, but Hello Kitty Jr. saves the day by grabbing a rope and pulling them to shore. Unfortunately, during the parade, the seats also collapse! (This adventure was, of course, inspired by our family trip to the theme park; check out the photos here.)

The moral of the story is that people don’t change, do they? From Hello Kitty toys to Scottish Fold cats. From innocent Disneyland adventures to scandalous ones. From clunky video camera movies on VHS to digi-cams films on YouTube!

Come awww at the fat-faced furry cuteness on Basil’s Scottish Fold blog. I also uploaded over 100 new photos on his Facebook; please friend him to see.

Speaking of disappearing noses… there’s more kitty kawaii on my YouTube channel; please subscribe so you won’t miss out! I have Tokyo and Osaka videos on the way…

Did you make silly home videos as a child? Aren’t they hilarious?

The joys of Adobe Photoshop. As I was splicing these images, I was overcome with the urge to experiment with extreme photo effects. The acid trip on the left is the result of high saturation and a magenta hue.

This Easter, I wore not one, not two but THREE crucifixes….

Goth cross choker: Sent to me from Limebarb, US-based purveyor of cosplay and cute Japan-style clothing. Check out Limebarb’s website; the indie company will take custom commissions! More outfit posts featuring their items to come…
Silver and bead rosaries, worn as necklaces: From a Catholic store! The black one has a little picture of St. Benedict to protect against SATAN.
Cute button pins: from Limebarb. Love the kawaii faces.
Nail polish art: Inspired by Yukiro’s techniques, I applied a white coat of polish, then carefully filled in diagonal sections. I finished with silver sparkles on the tips and an adhering top coat.

For these pics, I cranked up the exposure (the leading cause of the Visual Kei “disappearing nose” syndrome).

Black shiny arm warmer: Limebarb sent me these vinyl bad-boys, which have thumb holes.
Harajuku checkered arm warmer: A gift from Sock Dreams; get a pair here!. The web store stocks stockings of every variety, including seasonal patterns. (I’ve got more to show you…)
Silver button dress: Algonquins
Black rose hair accessory: a ribbon from the NYC fabric district.

High-contrast black and white never goes out of style.

100-inch super ruched socks: Possibly the craziest things I’ve put on my legs. When I opened the package, the soft, sheer stockings trailed all over the floor (each is 8.3 feet long)! You can scrunch up the fabric, layer it… this wacky accessory is available from Sock Dreams.

Now I’m getting a little carried away with photo editing. Funny how the Glowing Edges tool turned the Easter chick into a leering monster.

Speaking of Photoshop… do you know of the Little Fatty internet meme, where a Chinese boy’s funny face is Photoshopped onto movie posters and celebrity bods? I laughed so hard when I saw this photo of my Scottish Fold cat… the wee fatso resemblance is uncanny! (You can read about more Asian and Western net memes in my CNNGo article.)

Readers, do NOT go to the website above, which hosts J-horror movies for free. It will give you a VIRUS. Be warned. (I have a list of Asia’s top 10 new wave horror films on CNNGo.)

What’s new in La Carmina’s Twitterverse? Musings on the evolution of salad dressing, the Goth and Vampire teen book conundrum (why are they written by middle-aged mothers who live in Middle America?), a cute Japanese dog that would only grin when its owner is around, and other Jpop awesomeness. Come join the conversation on Twitter with me!

Do you wear crucifixes as jewelry? Are you a fan of Photoshop?

Dost thou recall my blog post about Horror High School, the Gothic Lolita horror-comedy film made by Professor Fearstone? (The sallow-cheeked ghoul above?)

There’s now a Facebook page for the movie, which we invite you to join. And the dear Professor — who also cavorts as The Candyman — posted these mahhhvelous concept sketches of the characters!

That’s Fearstone on the top left, Dravarious on the right and a soon-to-be-corrupted student in between. Below is the set-up for the classroom scene.

The movie is populated with bloody Sweet Lolitas and Japanese Goth girls.

You wouldn’t want these youngsters to show up on your doorstep selling raffle tickets.

Come see how the concepts and outfits came to life by watching Horror High School here! There’s now a Pause button, so you can take a matcha break in between.

Laura of Askew Magazine told me about a heart-breaking situation… Takumi, a young man near Osaka, has three holes in his heart and desperately needs surgery. His dad kicked him out for being gay and won’t support his medical care, and the situation is desperate. Reading about his daily struggles — nosebleeds, vision problems, heart attacks — is simply heartbreaking. I urge you to find out more on Takumi’s website and Twitter; please let others know and consider helping him out. (I checked it out and it’s legit.)

Required reading: my new CNNGO article about the rise of vintage stores in Asia. I interview green-haired Tavuchi (of fairy kei fame) and two Singapore secondhand boutique owners. And I mention my mom’s odd phobia of used garments…

When I was a teen, vintage shops were my salvation from cookie-cutter mall clothes. My Hong Kong-bred mother, however, couldn’t comprehend why I wanted to wear “smelly old rags.” Every time I brought home a treasure from the 1970s, she’d make a face and send it straight to the dry cleaner. (Read the rest here.)

Any Asians out there who have had a similar experience? What do your parents think of the way you dress? Thanks to all of you for helping Takumi.

What a sweet treat: I received a box of Sugarpill makeup from Shrinkle! Yukiro and I couldn’t wait to plaster the radiant colors on our faces — but we wanted to include you in the fun. So we created what is probably the most ridiculous makeup tutorial video in the blog-o-sphere!

Muahaha! La Carmina is captured by The Evil Queen (Yukiro Dravarious), who uses Sugarpill eyeshadows and glitters to transform her into a wicked witch.

1) Start with a base of white foundation or pressed powder for that pallid look.
2) Using red pressed Sugarpill eyeshadow, cover the eyebrows.
3) With a black eye pencil, draw evil eyebrows above.
4) Apply pink… no… yellow Sugarpill… above the red.
5) Apply orange Sugarpill to the outer eyelids.
6) Dot the inner eyelids with white Sugarpill eyeshadow.
7) With the black pressed Sugarpill, sweep a black line outward above the eyelids.
8) Add silver Sugarpill glitter under the eyes and gold glitter above for that royal look.
9) Sweep a black and red line down the cheeks with Sugarpill pressed eye shadows.

Here’s a closeup of the Evil Queen’s makeup. I love the space alien-like triangle on her forehead: it’s purple eyeshadow covered with glitter. Thumbs up to Sugarpill makeup by Shrinkle, which can be purchased here.

Please take a moment to watch our eyeshadow tutorial video. There’s a narrative, character development, and non-stop WTF laughs! If you are itching to see more, please check out my YouTube channel and subscribe (there are TOKYO videos on the way).

What do you think of Sugarpill eyeshadows? Have you given them a try?